


Reversal

by Shiny9Tails



Series: Battle Buffet Blues [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Death Threats, Drowning, Fear, Fear of Death, First Meetings, Gen, NO DEATH, No Romance, No Smut, One Shot, Running, Sassy, Threats of Violence, Trash Talk, What-If, first pokemon, protect the cinnamon roll
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 15:16:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14335263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shiny9Tails/pseuds/Shiny9Tails
Summary: What if someone else had helped Nia get settled in Alola? As always nothing goes right.





	Reversal

"I'm so glad I was able to help you cousin! Being homeless is a serious matter, yeah."

  
Professor Kukui led the girl down the hill towards what looked like a shack from the outside. The girl followed hesitantly, tugging at her long sleeves nervously. The ocean breeze teased her dark purple locks and brought her ease. It looked shady but at least the Professor lived on the beach.

Kukui led her inside and she gasped. The interior was extremely different from the outside. It was surprisingly clean and cozy. The aquarium stole her interest and she drifted to it, unable to hear Kukui explain living arrangements. He stopped and watched the small woman with a smile. She was certainly strange, but he couldn't see why she was jobless and homeless. Bad luck he guessed.

He cleared his throat and the woman turned in a flash, her cheeks blossoming a rosy hue.

"Miss... Nia, correct? I'll be able to get your passport worked out tomorrow, but I'd like to ask a few questions if you don't mind."

Nia nodded in acknowledgment and followed him into the kitchen. They talked as he cooked and they ate with gusto with Nia practically choking her food down.

Kukui found out surprisingly little about her home life, but was able to piece together a not so pretty picture from what she did tell him. She had never had her own Pokemon, never left for her journey, and utterly refused to tell him about her parents. He assumed they were dead or indisposed now since she was walking around without supervision, but he still got a bad feeling when he looked at her. What had made such a sweet girl so scared?

He let her sleep in the loft since his assistant was traveling with her new friends on their Island Trials. When Nia looked at him confused he explained the coming of age ritual that most kids went through. He also spoke of how he wanted to make their own Elite Four. Nia looked a little uncomfortable when he mentioned a Champion, but he thought nothing of it.

"Would you like to do the Island Trials? You mentioned how you always wanted to train Pokemon."

  
" **Y-Yes!** " Nia blurted. Kukui laughed joyfully at her enthusiasm and she blushed hard in embarrassment.

The next day they met Hala in Ikki Town and explained Nia's circumstances. Hala happily gave her the last remaining Pokemon and her trial charm. Her brand new Popplio grew attached to her immediately, barking and clapping happily. Nia smiled and named her Poppy.

With Poppy's help, Nia breezed through the first Island's trials. Her only hitch was facing Hala. She had to fight him three times before he was beaten. He couldn't have been prouder of her.

Nia had eventually given up hiding her arms and she wore shorts, but insisted on having bandages cover them and her stomach. She claimed it was in fashion back on Unova and no one questioned her. She let Poppy choose her clothes most mornings and she kept picking a crop top that stated proudly, "I'm too tentacool for you"

She had almost forgotten about hiding away with her new friends cheering her on. She almost felt bad getting on the ship to the next island. She leaned on the railing and waved as the ship pulled away from the dock. Her eyes drifted to the beach next to it, hoping to spot some water pokemon.

Her eyes landed on the man standing alone and froze. The man was large with a crew-cut and scars crisscrossing his body. Beside him lay an Arcanine in the sand, yawning with disinterest. The man smiled eerily at her and gave a two finger salute.

_When did her step-dad get here?_

Sweat broke out across her forehead and she felt faint. Her knuckles whitened as she squeezed the railing with all her might. She fell to her knees as soon as he was out of sight and wept. The other ferry goers avoided her and she snuck back to her room unhindered.

It took a while, but hope bloomed in her heart. If she finished the Trials would she be strong enough to face him? If she became the Champion that Kukui wanted, could she beat him?

One way to find out.

* * *

  
Akala Island shook her nerves to pieces. She raced through each trial, sometimes forgetting to take the Z-crystal given to her. Everytime she peered over her shoulder she expected to see him. Sometimes she did.

He was on the other side of Memorial Hill when she ran into Plumeria. Plum looked like she had been waiting for her and she went into her speal about her lil bros and sis's as Nia panicked. 

"Look, I don't know who you're talking about and I'm kinda in a hurry. I'm sorry if I pissed you off, but I'm begging you, please get out of my way!"

Her request came out with one breath and Plum stared in shock at the tiny woman. Nia looked over her shoulder and whipped her head back, grabbing Plum's arms in the process.

"Look, I'll pay whatever you want, just **for the love of Arceus,** **MOVE!** "

She let go of Plums arms, horrified that she touched the intimidating woman without asking. Plum silently moved out of the way and watched her disappear into the Ruins, yelling thanks over her shoulder.

  
Plum hid in the bushes, curious to see what the strange girl was running from. A few minutes later and Nia's step-dad stepped up to the Ruin's entrance. Plum silently took a picture and watched. She didn't have to be psychic to know he was bad news.

He stepped forward as if to enter the Ruins, but a heavy pink gate appeared, blocking his way in. She could hear Tapu Lele's cry of anger resonate from the Ruins. Instead of being frustrated the man smiled.

"Looks like word gets around with Legendaries. I'll get her soon enough though. The Tapu's can't protect her forever."

He strolled away casually and Plum shivered. She texted the picture to Guzma and the grunts with a warning.

"Watch out for this man. Tapu's scared of him."

Nia was found by Olivia hours later, sleeping on the cold temple floor. She still refused to talk about what happened, only stating that Tapu Lele protected her.

* * *

  
Nia's trip to Ula'ula was uneventful, but she still stepped into Malie City chewing on her nails. As she moved onto the next Trial she slowly relaxed. The Skull Grunts that were holding up the Bus sign made her laugh out loud and snort at their antics. She still had to beat them but she thanked them for the laugh afterwords. They walked away, unsure of how to feel.

She felt a lot better when she stepped into Malie Garden to meet up with Kukui. Apparently his other charges were taking a break and relaxing on Akala so she was going to be the only one showing up.

Kukui was speaking to someone when she arrived so she gently tugged on his coat to tell him she was here.

"Ah, here's one of them now!"

Kukui pulled her in front of him and Nia came face to face with the other man. He was taller than her even slouched and his silver eyes were full of malice. He wore a cocky grin and had his hands in his pockets. Everything about him screamed, "Run, I dare you"

Nia gulped and immediately tried to hide behind Kukui. Unfortunately Kukui had a firm grip on the collar of her shirt. She still tried over and over again muttering " _nope-nope-nope-nope_ " under her breath. Finally Kukui lifted her up and placed her down in front of Guzma, keeping his hands on her shoulders.

  
The spectacle made Guzma and his Grunts laugh without restraint.

  
"Finally, _someone_ with a fucking head on their shoulders!" Guzma belted out. Still chuckling he tilted her head up with a finger. Her chocolate eyes were full of fear and it made him smile.

"How old are you kid?"

  
"I'm 18..."

Her voice was tiny and he had her repeat it.

"Tauros shit. No way is a tiny brat like you 18."

Fear was replaced with annoyance and she spat out, "Ever think that maybe you're just a fuckin' giant?"

He leaned back and grinned. He was wondering how a scared little shit like her got this far. She pulled out her passport and handed it to him. To his surprise she was indeed 18.

  
"Damn, you _are_ legal." Her face reddened with embarrassment and annoyance. She put her passport back and muttered, "Not like you're getting any."

  
Kukui let her go and stepped back, wondering if he pulled the pin on this grenade. She had wanted to leave after all.

Nia slapped a hand over her mouth, mortified at what she said. Guzma grit his teeth into an ugly smile and reached for his pokeballs.

"You're gonna wish ya never said that, princess."

Nia instinctively reached for her own pokemon and glared defiantly up at him. Her fear shed away as she slipped into battle mode.

"I stand by what I said, trash man."

He ground his teeth in irritation and continued.

"Wanna see what destruction looks like, girlie? Here it is in human form—it's ya boy, Guzma!"

* * *

  
They were down to one Pokemon each. Golisopod and Araquanid stared each other down. One final hit to either would finish this.

Guzma had been pleasantly surprised to see the water spider when she sent it out, but now he was just irritated. The little bitch had shown way more skill than he expected, but she was still going to taste defeat.

Nia chewed on her thumb nail as she stared him down. He was definitely the toughest trainer she had fought so far but she was sure that she could win if she was clever.  
She looked around, trying to think of a way to use their environment to throw him off. She was sure if she could trip Golisopod she could win this and grind his cocky nose into it.

Her color drained and she recalled Araquanid. Guzma stood to protest but was surprised to see her approach. She was scared earlier but now pure terror filled her eyes. She shoved her purse into his arms and blabbered, " _You win take your prize gotta go bye_."

She ran out of the garden, her only possessions being her pokemon and clothes on her back. She darted south, running along Route 11 and 12, ignoring the trainers that called out to her.

  
She could hear the waves crash against the cliff and she had an epiphany. Beowolf the Arcanine was probably tracking her through smell, but water washed it away. She looked over the cliff and gulped. It wasn't too far down, but she worried about the undertow.

A branch snapped and she jumped without a thought. The water sucked her down and tossed her back up, forcing her to follow the currents. She could barely breathe, getting both air and water when she opened her mouth. It tossed her left and right until she found a calm current that took her along the shore.

Meanwhile her step-dad passed the thug and professor without a thought. Beowolf followed her trail, tail wagging as he led his master. He howled and turned in a circle when they finally reached the cliff, unable to smell her anymore.

His master cursed under his breath and peeked over the edge. She could've survived the fall and he knew which trial was next. He signalled Beowolf to follow him and he followed the coast line, heading for Tapu Village.

The currents pushed her along the coast, finally coming to a stop in the Secluded Shore. She dragged herself from the waters edge and coughed, trying to get the water out of her lungs. She heard footsteps and held her hand over her mouth, trying to stay silent.

The footsteps paused, but then continued on. She sighed when the footsteps were gone and rested against a rock.

" _Fuck_ _today.._."

She heard more footsteps minutes later, but voices came with.

"Yo Boss, that girl was a pussy! I can't believe she bailed on you like that!"

"Least ya got all of her shit. Can't believe she just gave ya her purse!"

" _I feel so fuckin' blueballed right now_. **Will you two shut tha fuck up?** I got a headache."

"Yes Boss."

  
Nia groaned and covered her face with her hands. How could she have been so stupid?! She should've just ran instead of handing that thug her purse. Would she even be able to continue her trials now?

Sighing she got up and started back. Maybe Kukui could help her out or at least take her back to the Lab. She didn't dare call it home. It just...felt wrong.

* * *

  
Kukui found her at the Pokemon Center and took a long look at her. Without a word he gave her her passport and trial charm back, explaining that Guzma gave them back. She nodded and Kukui walked out of the center, leaving her in the hands of the Nurses.

  
It took her a couple of days, but eventually she continued her trials. It was slow going, but eventually she made it to Tapu Village where Acerola was waiting.

" _Wow!_ You almost look like a ghost!"

Nia nodded tiredly. She had barely slept or eaten, too scared to let down her guard. She was twitchy and paranoid, but she still pressed on, determined to beat her step-dad.

Mimikyu didn't scare her and almost decided to go with her after the trial. Acerola commented that it was probably her spooky appearance. Pale and tired was apparently ghost chic.

Nia continued on, too tired to care anymore. She finally slept and cleaned up in the next Pokecenter, but only because the Nurses caught her sleeping at one of the cafe tables.

She stepped into Ula'ula Meadow the next night, hoping that the cover of darkness would help hide her. The red flowers and mist made shivers run down her back. She couldn't see anyone in the darkness so she plodded on.

The middle of the bridge wasn't empty though.

Her step-dad stood with Beowolf, lighting up the bridge once she was close enough. Fire encircled them, trapping her in a ring with a mad man.

"You made it a lot further than I thought you would."

Nia stared in shock and reached for her pokemon. She wasn't strong enough to beat him, but maybe she could distract him long enough to escape.

"Then again Alola is very forgiving and has many nice people. You wouldn't have survived by yourself, much less in a different region."

Nia gripped Poppy's ball, praying that her plan would work.

"I'm glad I got to put both of you out of your misery. Say hi to your dad for me."

'Poppy! Sparkling Aria!"

Poppy, now a Primarina, popped out of her ball and dowsed the flames. Beowolf growled as the light returned to night. 

"Shush Beowolf. She can't get past us."

He screamed in pain as Poppy used Dazzling Gleam, blinding the two of them. Nia ran past them, calling Poppy back to her ball. He smiled as she ran past him, knowing the only thing that way was a cliff and Team Skulls hideout. She had no chance.

Nia ran in the rain, tripping and falling in the slidier spots. Up ahead she could see a building with the lights on. She ran towards it, hoping for a miracle.

It was a police station. She cried with relief as she ran to the door, banging on it with all her might. The only response was the meow of some cat pokemon. She kept banging on the door until she could see Beowolf's fire in the distance, lighting the way for her pursuer.

She ran further down the trail, tripping on the cobblestone and skinning her knees. She struggled back to her feet and ran, spotting the fortified city of Po town in the distance. She reached the gates and spotted the two grunts keeping watch. Out of breath, she pounded on the gate hoping to get their attention.

They opened the door to tell her to fuck off, but she dashed in before they could. All around her were graffitied houses and broken glass. She searched for a place to hide, but found most of the houses to be occupied or completely barren.

She didn't listen to the Grunts that wanted to battle her and instead dove under the bushes and over their blockades, fighting just to breathe.

  
She reached Shady House and slammed open the doors, sure there was a place to hide in the mansion. Plumeria came out of her room and spotted Nia fervently looking for a place to hide.

Before Plumeria could address her, she bolted down a hallway out of sight. Plumeria sighed and started the walk to Guzma's room.

As she climbed in through the broken window the doors slammed open again, revealing the man she saw at the Ruins. This time Guzma came out of his room to see who the fuck was slamming doors.

"Who tha fuck are you and why are you slammin' doors in my house?!"

The man smiled charismatically up at Guzma and explained.

"My apologies. Unfortunately my daughter trespassed onto your property and I am trying to get her to leave with me."

Plum shuddered and whispered into Guzma's ear, pointing out the picture on her phone. He nodded grimly and spoke to the man in his foyer.

"What's ya daughters name? Maybe we can help ya find her."

The man grinned and replied, "Her name is Nia. She's mentally ill and needs to come home. I'm afraid that if she doesn't your home might be the next thing she burns down."

The name clicked in Guzma's head and the pieces came together. Nia running away at the last moment, the terror in her eyes, it was all because of this man.

"Well unless you'd like a beatin' from yours truly I suggest you leave. Ya see I was about to beat that pretty little ass when your ugly mug scared her off. I don't like being blue balled old man."

The man grinned and brought Beowolf forward. The large Pokemon was ready to rip shit apart and it stared at Guzma like he wanted to rip him apart.

"Well then. I hoped I could wipe you trash off the face of the earth. Looks like it's my lucky day."

"Give him a good First Impression Golisopod."

Golisopod sprung from its ball and slammed its claws up under Beowolfs jaw. It leaped back and chittered angrily, ready to go again.

Beowolf slowly brought his head down and popped its neck, unimpressed.

This was going to be a tough fight.

* * *

  
Nia had found a crate and hid inside of it, trying to cry as quietly as possible. She didn't want to die, but her step-dad only had murder on the brain.

Her sniffling brought in one of the Grunts. He searched the room, trying to find the crying person. He assumed it was another grunt that got on Guzma's bad side, but was surprised when he peeked into her crate.

She was soaked and muddy, covered in scratches and bruises. Her bandages had come undone or were ripped from all of her running. Her hair lay matted against her face and her eyes were shut, desperately trying to wish away this nightmare.

He touched her arm gently and she flinched, staring up at him through her hair. He gently pulled her hair back, going slow as to not startle her. He spoke softly to her, trying to get her to calm down.

"Hey...my name is K. What's yours?"

* * *

  
Beowolf had climbed the stairs and was no longer fighting Golisopod. It charged Guzma and knocked him down. He was pinned and sure that this mutt was going to kill him. He struggled as its mouth got closer, ready to take a bite on its masters command.

Golisopod tossed the massive dog off of Guzma, back onto the foyer floor. Guzma sat up and thanked his Bug. It chittered happily at him and went back to work ripping Beowolf a new asshole.

"Your fuckin Arcanine almost **killed** me! What tha fuck?"

He shrugged and stated, "I do what I can to win, brat. Fair or not."

Guzma laughed and brought his hands together.

"I was gonna fight ya fair and square, but if you ain't playin fair..."

He whistled and Grunts came out of their rooms, filling the balconies. All of them had their pokeballs ready to go.

"...why should I?"

  
Plumeria signalled the Grunts and they let out their Pokemon. They turned to the Arcanine and growled, ready to destroy it.

  
The sounds of battle filled the house and echoed down the hallways. Nia and K sat quietly together, listening to the conflict. Nia grabbed hold of K out of fear and he hugged her trying to calm her down.

Finally Beowolf fell to the floor, unable to battle. The man growled and scowled up at the gang leader, murder in his voice.

"Next time, I'm bringing my Team."

He stormed out and everyone cheered. Golisopod hugged Guzma, happy that he didn't die. Plum sighed and relaxed, rubbing her Salazzle's back.

Eventually K and Nia came out of the back room. She still clung to K, but she looked around and smiled now that she was safe.

Guzma beckoned them to his room where he returned Nia's things and gave her a Team Skull uniform.

She joined on the spot.

* * *

  
The man left Po Town and screamed in frustration. After all this time the little bitch was going to live another day. He was planning the next time when a hand grabbed his shoulder firmly.

  
He turned and came face-to-face with Nanu, Kahuna and Police Officer.

"You're gonna have to come with me sir."


End file.
